Thursday, December 10, 2009

New York Knicks NBA 2K10 Ratings

This is my first edition of detailed ratings for a team in NBA 2K10. Please leave some feedback to let me know how I did!

2009-2010 OVERVIEW
The Knicks are one of many teams awaiting the elite free agent class of July 2010. They have spent the last few seasons jettisoning most of the bad contracts brought in by Isiah Thomas, and there are only two that still remain (Eddy Curry and Jared Jeffries). They are in an interesting spot because they are not contending for a championship, yet gain nothing from tanking because their draft pick goes to Utah as part of the Stephon Marbury trade made 5 years ago (yes, Isiah was that bad of a GM that the team is STILL paying for that terrible trade). The team started off poorly but has come together of late. They have won 3 in a row, and 4 of their last 5 (Suns, Hawks, Nets, Blazers). They lack an all-star caliber player, but with the right amount of teamwork and chemistry, the 8th seed in the playoffs is not out of reach.

ANALYSIS
It's been a pleasure to watch Lee transform from role player to team leader of the Knicks. No longer just a putback and hustle player, Lee is dangerous off the pick and roll, able to put the ball on the floor and take slow-footed centers off the dribble, or pull up for a jumper from 15-18 feet out. Coach D'Antoni has helped turn Lee into "Amare-lite", and to be quite honest, I would rather have Lee due to his superior rebounding and durability. What prevents Lee from attaining all-star status is that defensively, he is not a center, and never will be. He's a poor shot blocker, and at 6'9" he does not have the size to handle bigger and stronger players.

FUTURE
Lee is a 2010 free agent. The team is desperate to sign two max contract free agents, which would require renouncing the rights to all their free agents (and trading one of Curry or Jeffries). Realistically, this is a pipe dream and the more probable course is re-signing Lee to the long-term deal he has wanted.

ANALYSIS
Harrington is in the middle of his best pro season, and seems to improve his offensive game every year. He is one of the few Knicks who can create his own offense, and is versatile enough to play either small forward or center. He is the "perfect" tweener. He is too quick for bigger players, and too strong for wings. He can post up, take opponents off the dribble, or pull up from downtown. Unfortunately, there isn't much to Harrington's game when the ball isn't going in the basket - he leaves a lot to be desired as a passer, rebounder, and defender. There is a concern that he does not make his teammates better and plays too much one on one, but considering how devoid of offensive talent the Knicks are, his pros outweigh the cons.

FUTURE
Harrington recently came up in trade rumor for Chicago's Tyrus Thomas but nothing is imminent. It is possible Al gets traded to a contender this season if it benefits the Knicks' future. Otherwise he will likely walk as a free agent and look to command a 3-5 year deal worth 6-8 million annually (in this economy, his worst case scenario would be a long term deal for the Mid-Level Exception).

ANALYSIS
Hughes is playing his best basketball in years, reminding us that he can still do lots of things if not score efficiently. Knee injuries have robbed Hughes of his explosiveness, and consequently, his ability to finish at the basket (though he recently improved his 3pt touch to help compensate). What Hughes lacks in scoring efficiency these days, he makes up for with his defense, ball handling, and passing, which are all above average. He can play spot minutes at point guard, and has done it more than a few times this seasson partly due to how bad the other PGs have been, and partly because of how good Hughes has been.

FUTURE
Hughes will be 31 next season and likely looking at a bench role on a contender (or re-signing in NY, if their offseason goes that badly). He will also make AT LEAST 10 million dollars less than what he's making this season.

ANALYSIS
Nate a great 2009 campaign, winning the dunk contest, but more importantly posting numbers comparable to elite combo guards like Ben Gordon, Leandro Barbosa, Monta Ellis, and Jason Terry. His attitude has worn thin on the coaching staff, and he is riding the bench behind rookie Toney Douglas (who has a similar skillset but the height needed to make a defensive impact). At 5'9" Nate will always be undersized and a liability on defense, and that makes it all the more important for him to give 100% focus and energy on the defensive end. Nate is a great scorer, is much more talented than Chris Duhon, and has amazing physical tools probably make him closer to 6'3", but it's really all for naught if he's going to allow scrubs like Sergio Rodriguez to light him up. The Knicks are 0-9 this season when Nate plays 19 minutes, and 7-6 when he plays fewer than 12 minutes (which makes it really easy to justify his benching).

FUTURE
A candidate to be traded, and yet another 2010 free agent for the Knicks. Nate did not command much interest as a restricted free agent this past summer and it's anyone's guess if any other team would be interested in his services. Received an offer from a European team over the summer, and may have to take that route if things don't pan out for him stateside.

ANALYSIS
Chandler is a versatile player who has started at SG, SF, and PF over the last two seasons. SG is probably his weakest position of the three, but plays there anyway due to a lack of options for NY. Chandler settles for his his average jumper all too often, and it's because he doesn't have the ball handling skills needed to take other guards off the dribble. He usually draws the top defensive assignment on the perimeter, but seeing as how LeBron, Wade, Melo, and Kobe have all dropped 50 on him rather easily, it's safe to say he has a ways to go in this department. Chandler hasn't really progressed as hoped, and is starting to lose minutes to Hughes and Gallinari.

FUTURE
Chandler is one of the team's few quality trade chips, and the Knicks were open to trading him to move up in the 09 draft. He could easily find himself in a trade designed to rid the team of Jeffries or Curry.

ANALYSIS
Has played surprisingly well for the 29th pick of a weak draft class. He has basically brought Nate's offensive skill set with the defensive mindset of a bulldog. Douglas suffers from the same flaw Nate did when he first came into the league - he is a poor passer and struggles to find his teammates. Douglas is not a true point and that really limits his upside when you consider he is 23 years old already.

FUTURE
Should be the Knicks' backup PG for the next couple years, pending any trades.

ANALYSIS
Duhon has been absolutely terrible after having a career year last season. He is flat out overmatched as a starter, and continues to start because the Knicks need someone who can get the ball to Lee in a pick and roll set. Of course, if Duhon could actually hit a shot in those sets, it'd make them far more effective - there's a reason the Nash/Amare combo was so indefensible. It is also a bit perplexing why half of his threes seem to come from 27 feet out, and he has nobody to blame but himself for his horrendous shooting percentages this season.

FUTURE
Duhon is a 2010 free agent, though he is hardly playing himself into anyone's long-term plans. As stated before, he's perfectly suited to a bench role (though not on a team with a perimeter star, as he doesn't play well off the ball.

ANALYSIS
Gallinari has not shown any ill-effects of last season's back injury, and has played very well. He is easily the best shooter on the team, and is already one of the top 3pt shooters in the NBA. He has also shown to be a competent ball handler and decent shot blocker, which project him as a cross between Hedo Turkoglu and Peja Stojakovic going forward. Gallo is just 21 years old, and certainly has plenty of time to meet those expectations. Unfortunately, those expectations also peg him as a poor defensive player, and he is a liability against any skilled perimeter player due to his lack of quickness.

FUTURE
The Knicks seem higher on Gallinari than they do Wilson Chandler, so his future in New York seems secure. It helps that daddy played with coach 30 years ago. He's probably the only Knick with "untouchable" status right now.

ANALYSIS
The next Chris Wilcox is not exactly seperating himself from his predecessor. Wilcox barely played for the Knicks last season, and is unlikely to get much time until the Knicks are out of the playoff race. Hill offers an insurance policy in case Lee leaves as a free agent (and thus, has no role on the team if Lee stays). He is a better rebounder than Wilcox but has to learn how to play in the post, as well as how to play defense. I would still take him over Eddy Curry at this point, but it's understandable giving Curry minutes since that's your only hope of trading him.

FUTURE
Knicks GM Donnie Walsh recently complained to the media that the reason the Knicks passed on Brandon Jennings because Isiah Thomas' scouts were still employed by the team and didn't do their jobs correctly. So that probably tells you how secure Hill's spot on the team is. Hill is not a player who is going to get better sitting on the bench every game, and the Knicks would probably be better off trading him to get rid of a bad contract.

ANALYSIS
I'll be nice. Jeffries is a defensive role player that can guard all five positions. What can't he do? Everything else.

FUTURE
Even though he is playing moderately well (for his standards, at least), The Knicks will jump at the chance to dump Jeffries' contract in a trade, as he hinders their 2010 cap space. It's still difficult to believe Isiah Thomas paid him about three times more than he was worth.

ANALYSIS
Curry has played fewer games over the last three years than Greg Oden, which should perfectly illustrate just unreliable he has been. Unlike Oden, Curry is completely allergic to blocks and rebounds. He is a terrible fit on an uptempo team, and I just don't see them ever getting a quality minute out of him. He is still incredibly turnover prone, and is no longer a dominant offensive player since returning from injuries, which makes him a poor offensive player in addition to being a poor defensive player.

FUTURE
At the rate Curry is going, his career will end when his contract expires in 2011. He is the most unwanted player on the Knick roster, and while it's possible he returns to the form he briefly showed in his early 20s, it is far from likely.

ANALYSIS
I thought Darko actually played decently for the Knicks, but he completely fell out of the rotation. He hadn't provided the shot blocking they thought he was going to bring, and isn't talented enough offensively to fill Lee's shoes.

FUTURE
Another 2010 free agent, Darko recently expressed his desire to return to Europe as he is desperate to actually get on the court. It's unfortunate that he has barely gotten a chance to play despite a #2 overall selection (kudos, Larry Brown), but it's tough to feel bad for him either considering he'll have earned 38 million dollars over his 7 year NBA career, and did not improve much after signing a 3 year 21 million dollar contract in 2007.

ANALYSIS
Marcus is the brother of the Rockets' Carl Landry, but they do not have similar games. Landry was an undersized PF/C in college but has converted to the wing in the NBA, which is possible thanks to his defensive versatility and ball handling. He is basically a shorter, but better shooting Jared Jeffries.

FUTURE
Landry won't get much of a chance unless Chandler or Jeffries get traded (or hurt). Given that he is 23 already, he's probably looking at a career as a fringe NBA player, or a European career.

My roster base is whichever the last 2K one before they started adding injuries was.

I don't make PC rosters. I might in the future IF I became well-versed in an editing program that would allow me to convert the file into PS3 & 360 files. I've seen that done in the past but don't have a clue what program (or if it would still be compatable with 2K Share).

I know you've probably heard this a lot. Can you look at Rodney Stuckey's ratings?

He's upped his game the past few games with a lot of the Pistons guard depth gone. I'm aware he needs to sustain his performance to have a consistant high rating but a 72 is mighty low. His rebounding has seen good growth 'specially.

I think you have done a good job with the Knicks. Just two things to comment on.

First, keep a close eye on Chandler over the next several games. I agree that he settled for the jumper too much at the start of the year. However, he has been more aggressive at getting to the basket recently. Don't forget that he had surgery in the off-season and he may just now be getting his legs under him.

The other thing is you may want to consider increasing Douglas' potential rating. I am not talking about anything extreme - maybe think about bringing him up to the low 70's. As you indicated based on his age and playing style he might not have much more room to grow. That being said his current potential rating of 62 is well below the level of play he has shown this year.

Well, Stuckey continued his good playing of late with a nice performance last night; whilst moving back over to the point (Rip being back in the lineup). The Pistons are winning games even with many injuries and a fair bit of that is attributed to Rodney's recent play.

His turnovers shot up for the game last night, but that's against the leading team at forcing turnovers (and the fact he had more possession of the ball sliding to the 1).

About Piston draft picks. Stuckey is a great pick and is starting to fulfill his potential. Also Jerebko is a great pick at 39.

Well, Stuckey continued his good playing of late with a nice performance last night; whilst moving back over to the point (Rip being back in the lineup). The Pistons are winning games even with many injuries and a fair bit of that is attributed to Rodney's recent play.

His turnovers shot up for the game last night, but that's against the leading team at forcing turnovers (and the fact he had more possession of the ball sliding to the 1).

About Piston draft picks. Stuckey is a great pick and is starting to fulfill his potential. Also Jerebko is a great pick at 39.